Progress is...

dawnybabes

I tried to add a photo but it didn’t work - will try again ! 

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge - I'm looking forward to my ladies who lunch this week & baby cuddles next week!  Mom's childhood friend is more of an obligation than a catch-up!  It's a case of she pre-dates me in my Mom's life so I have to honour that by visiting with her 😉

@badmemory - once upon a time when we lived on the farm I had a great list that I'd keep up to date on the computer - it wasn't a spreadsshet (I have enough of those at work) but I loved how organized I felt!  At some point I'll pick it back up again 😁

@dawnybabes - that is a great idea for a chest freezer!  I might suggest that one to my Mom across the pond for her basement freezer - she's constantly forgetting what is in there and finds herself with duplicates!  Doesn't help that she has a bit of a C0stc0 addiction & can't visualize what groceries for one person looks like.  Luckily with a healthy social life, her friends can be the recipients of said bounty!

Our upright freezer is in the dining room half of our main living space, as are our larder shelfs, so I try and keep them pretty rather than utilitarian - we use baskets to hide away most of our stores & what's on show is in in matching kilner jars or decorative tins.  I do want to source some curtains to hide the bottom shelves, but havn't found what I'm looking for yet.  The big thing I did when we moved here from the farm is to downsize our stores - we are in the middle of a town now, with 7-8 grocery stores most of which are within walking distance! So we only keep one of each of the things we use regularly (tomato sauce, coconut milk, tinned fruit etc.) and keep everything in regular rotation) - not having a walk in larder has changed our consumer habits enourmously!

rtandon27

Home Insurance - rather pleased that the offer sent to me was also the best one going - have signed into my portal and renewed online - nice and easy - used a points credit card which means more free meal deals for my lunches!  Another admin task done and dusted - this being an adult thing sure does involve a lot of day to day work! 😉

rtandon27

New week & I'm unfortunately out for the count with a migraine from hell!  So time to revisit the list and regroup!

looming tasks...
✅ renew passports - one is expired - the other will expire soon - this is the next big frog that needs chomping - DONE & DUSTED - RM came and picked up my tracked package!
❗do bus pass application - once blue badge is on it's way
🔱 check when current energy fix ends (Oct 3rd) & diarize 49 days for switch (Aug 15)
🔆 my savings need juggling
🔆 never ending paperwork filing!

routine tasks...
nothing routine during the week!

non-routine tasks...
✅ Mom's birthday - wished her - it's a big one!
🔆 across the pond banking
🔆 send a message to BFF across the pond - I owe her some money for various bits and need to arrange payback
🔆 clean up of spare laptop that needs to go back to the office
🔆 Delay Repay
🔱 Nightmare Train Delay snot-o-gram!

medical follow-ups...
🔱 dermatologist referral - have docs names - now need to book
✅ physio referral - over the phone assesment done - grrrr - they really need a receptionist - I've tried to reach them twice today! - well it seems they have a receptionist - now she's trying to sort out the mess the practice owner made booking my appt - sigh - i'm not feeling cooperative - i have an appointment the rest is not my problem!
🔱 enquired about OH appt - have to book him this on Sat
🔆 follow-up on OT recommendations for work assessment
🔆 follow-up on private eye specialist

never ending garden things...
✅ get gutters cleaned - have asked our window cleaner for a quote - 90 pounds but well worth it - he's happy to add other little bits like cleaning the gutter trap when he washes our windows - now OH wants to give him ALL the work!
❗ I've found a black metal finial trellis to put into the ground to counteract Mr Plastic grass dumping his spent soil behind my shed - it's not solid, but a lot prettier than any other solution! - need to order on the weeknd
🔆 need to order 3 large pot trolleys for under large tree pots
✅ tamed front climbing rose and weeded front bed
🔱 new trellis needs to go up for the climbing rose in the front - OH has acquired the hardware! - now to put it up!
✅ transplant two pots of flowers
🔆 need to transplant two chili plants & one more pot of flowers
✅ hard prune of one of the blackberry bushes - it's so vigourous that by the weekend it will be throwing out runners!
✅ tidied up wind drop apples - the ones on the tree are not ripe yet!
🔱 trim down and rehome butterfly bush - sigh - it's emulating a trifid
🔱 once lavender is dry from rain make lavender bundles for drying
🔆 finish taming climbing jasmine & add more supports for it to grown on
🔆 start getting quotes for new felt for flat roof & summer house & shed (needs doing in autumn)
🔆 transplant baby trees into their new pots

social calendar...
✅ 12th - meet with mom's childhood friend for lunch
✅ 14th - ladies who lunch summer edition
💖21st - rebooked cuddle with baby & dinner with mama!

rtandon27

The saga of the passports! - and so it continues...

Progress has been made!  Thanks to two lovely collegues at the office who did just the right balance of caring & bullying, both forms are filled in & a plan has been made to get photos done tomorrow!

Vanity has kicked in and I might put a box of colour to my hair & loose the witches streak that has appeared at my temple!

There has been a bit of a mental block with getting these done which they have helped me work through as only good friends can...
1) I've not been home since 2019! Yikes - I'd been home every second year since moving to the UK!
2) Travel in 2021 was put paid by the pandemic - I was allowed to work from home as long as home was in the UK! (not good for anyone's wellbeing either here or home across the pond)
3) Travel in 2023 didn't happen as I was hemi-peligic for part of it & doing intense physio for another part of it
4) Docs collective recommendation has been not to get on a plane, but I'm going to speak to them later this month and see if we can reassess.
5) All the money I saved on travelling was actually spent on the mortgage! (not  a bad thing, but will need to reasses our spending plan going forward)
6) None of us are getting any younger & it will be emotional to see my dear godson not as a 13 year old but as a 20 year old!  Goddaughters are both older than I was when I moved to the UK - one has two tween daughters and the other engaged to be married! Mom just turned 80 - OH has a big Bday in Jan and I'm no spring chicken, though in my own mind I don't age!
7) Cost of renewing two passports is over 200GBP - yikes! - yes it's been saved up for but still painful

Any positive reinforcement gratefully received!  We all know the comfort of the chats had in the virtual kitchen!

Cherryfudge

Well done for progress on the passports. It will be worth it.

Sorry to hear about the migraine, it sounds dire.

Watty1

Doesn't time fly, and not in a good way sometimes. It just  whizzes past and one is left wondering where those years went.    Passport progress well made.

redofromstart

I think it's useful to have a valid passport for lots of reasons including evidence of identity. At least if it is done then you have the option of travel without the perceived barriers of time and extra cost to get one quickly.

beanielou

Big well done on the passports. 

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge & @Watty1 & @redofromstart & @beanielou - thank you so much for the cheerleading!

Colleagues & I have gone for a celebratory posh mini-donut to celebrate!

Passport photos obtained & acrossthepond renewal dropped off this morning!  140GBP for the renewal and 17.50 for the photos - they are fussy about what they will accept so had to go to a real person for them! - All documentation presented in person and accepted - should take 3-5 weeks to come back!

UK passport is actually easier to process even though it expired 2 years ago! - the process is much more logical - certified copies of my acrossthepond passport obtained (while dropping off the renewal) - everything can be applied for online, but extra supporting docs including other passport and expired UK one to go in via registered/tracked mail! Fingers crossed it can be picked up while I WFH tomorrow as our local post office is beyond deplorable for customer service! ETA - 95 for the passport, 17.50 for the electronic photo, 5 for special delivery return, another 10 for my signed for postage!

Best bit is that the OH can't nag me about this anymore - he can be a right PITA with his nagging!

ETA - 285 for both passports - 28.50 a year - 2.38 a month - approx 8p a day - 😁 - cost per use? - depends where we go and which passport gets used!